News, 10/08/2017

Finnish Aalto satellites make waves in space

Nanosatellites such as those built at Aalto University (named Aalto-1 and Aalto-2) are dispelling people’s preconceptions about what a satellite is and what it can achieve.

"While a traditional large satellite weighs around 500 kilogrammes, a nanosatellite weighs just 5 kilos," states Jaan Praks, Assistant Professor at Aalto University, whose areas of expertise are remote sensing and space technology. "The price of a standardised nanosatellite is only a fraction of that of a large satellite. When satellites are small and light, a carrier rocket can carry a large number of them into space at one time.